In a pivotal workshop organized by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), 15 youth activists from various regions of Libya came together to propose ideas for breaking the country’s political deadlock. The workshop aimed at empowering youth to actively participate in shaping the country’s future, towards democratic elections.
The diverse group, consisting of nine young women and six young men, presented their suggestions to Abdoulaye Bathily, the UN Envoy to Libya. During a plenary session held on Wednesday, the youth shared their insights, and Bathily engaged with them, answering questions and discussing their proposed solutions.
Bathily emphasized the critical role of the youth in Libya’s journey towards peace, inclusivity, and democracy. He stressed the importance of unifying the five major stakeholders to find a compromise, and restore the electoral process.
The youth representatives proposed several key strategies, which include:
Participation:
– Increased youth representation in the Parliament and political meetings, including a specific youth quota.
– Establishment of a national charter with a defined electoral timeline, to be signed by all political stakeholders.
– Enhanced representation of women in politics and ministerial roles.
Unified Solutions and Sanctions:
– Unification of military and security institutions under national loyalty.
– Public identification and sanctioning of political spoilers.
Empowering Youth:
– Strengthening youth and political parties’ capacity to voice opinions and campaign.
– Facilitating intergenerational dialogues for trust-building and societal reconciliation.
– Launching awareness campaigns to bolster youth participation in politics and elections.
– Supporting young entrepreneurs to tackle unemployment and economic challenges.
Bathily urged the youth to express their needs for a peaceful political resolution, emphasizing that this is crucial for the country’s advancement. He assured the participants that their ideas and concerns, along with inputs from other stakeholders, would be conveyed to the main political stakeholders in upcoming meetings.
This workshop is part of a series of meetings that Bathily has conducted with various groups, including women, cultural representatives, civil society, and political parties, aiming to listen to their views and gather potential solutions to the political stalemate.